Monday morning.
It had taken an age to get there, but at the same time, it had come all too soon for Allison.

This was it, today. Make or break. Win or lose.

Today, she might have 3 new friends and a lovely boyfriend. Failing that, she had 3 sell-outs and a major asshole on her hands. The former was favourable of course, but this was Allison, and she was used to life's low blows.

She didn't want to admit to herself that she was counting on Andy today. She'd even tried to hide the fact in her appearance, though she wasn't entirely sure it had worked.

Not completely willing to change who she was, Allison had stuck with her Chuck Taylors, opted for some skinny jeans and a black AC/DC hooded top. She'd given Claire's hair band the boot, though she'd taken some time to tidy her hair up a little that morning. She'd toned the 'black shit' down a bit too. Just a bit.

So far, Allison had decided, she was passing off as fairly normal. Perhaps a little too normal. Sure, she would never be a member of the prep club, but she hadn't attracted any unwanted attention on the bus this morning, either.

She always took the public bus as early as she could, to avoid the other no-marks on their way to Shermer Hell Hole. Getting to school early meant she didn't have to fight her way down the corridor, and consequently had managed to avoid seeing any familiar "Saturday faces" thus far. But now she had English, and she was pretty sure that at least two of her potential friends were in the class too.

As usual, Allison had managed to get to the class before anyone else, picking her favourite seat in the back right. Once at her desk, she busied herself on a drawing she'd been working on during Friday's dull math class- a pencil drawing of the Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago, raised to allow a boat through.
Maybe she could sketch Vernon in, getting crushed as the bridge came back down.
Allison smirked to herself.

Hashimoto sure would love that. His inkblots would be working overtime.

"H..hi Allison," a nervous voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Glancing up, Allison saw Brian stood awkwardly in front of her, folder full of notes and his copy of 'Lord of the Flies' under one arm.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, gesturing to the desk beside her.

Allison looked at the empty seat, as if to check, and then shrugged.

Not waiting for a response (he wasn't likely to get one), Brian sat down.

"So, have you seen any of the others yet?" he asked.

"Have you?" Allison replied. The ancient art of deflection, always worked a treat.

"No.. Well, I mean, I saw Claire at her locker before but you know, I was in a rush to get to homeroom, and she was with her friends, so I just figured... you know.. that it wasn't exactly an optimal time to test the waters," he rambled. "...Good weekend?"
Glancing at him, Allison allowed one corner of her mouth to turn up.

"So did you read the chapters?" he asked, picking up his immaculate copy of 'Lord of the Flies' and thumbing through the pages, before looking over at Allison's desk- which was empty, aside from her drawing. "Do you even have a copy?"
"Bits of one," she said apathetically, producing half of a battered book from her bag.

"Where's the other bit?" Brian frowned.

Leaning in a little closer, Allison fixed him with one of her deadpan stares.
"I ate it."

Brian laughed nervously, unsure whether or not she was serious, and busied himself by looking around the classroom.
It was starting to fill up now- geeks at the front, casting some curious and confused looks his way. To the right, a couple of jocks, who evidently didn't want to be there, and were entertaining themselves by aiming paper balls at the nearby bin. To the left of them, and only two desks in front of Brian and Allison, a few 'student council' types chattered about their weekend, boyfriends and latest nail polish discoveries.

They paused their conversation momentarily to greet Claire, who had just walked through the door.

The redhead went through the usual motions- "how's your weekend?", "love your boots", "must go out for coffee soon". And then she sat down, at the desk right in front of Allison.

Brian glanced nervously between the two girls, wondering if Claire was going to acknowledge either of them, or whether she had just sat there to be close to the other preps.

For a moment, Claire fiddled with her bag, brought out her things and took off her jacket. Then she turned around in her seat to face them.

She looked nervous, Allison noted. Though she wasn't sure why- nervous of their reaction? Or nervous of her clique's reaction?

"Hi."

"Hi Claire," Brian muttered.

Claire glanced at Allison, as if awaiting a response.

"I lost your headband."

Claire laughed to herself. "That's okay."

Their teacher had come in now, hushing the class and telling them to turn to page 74.

Brian watched Allison in disbelief as she shuffled through the pile of pages and somehow managed to produce page 74. He was just about to lean across and tell her she could share his copy, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yo. Brian, man, you're in my seat."

The three of them looked up to see Andrew Clarke stood there, letter jacket and all, his notebook and pens neatly under one arm.

"There are other seats," Brian pointed out.
He wasn't wrong, the class wasn't exactly bursting at the seams.

"I want that one," Andy replied, simply.

"Something you want to share with the class gentlemen?" their teacher asked, unimpressed.

Silence.

Turning to Brian again, Claire gestured to the seat beside her.

"Well?" the teacher demanded.

"Uh, no Mrs Collins, sorry Mrs Collins," Brian stuttered, getting up and moving to the desk in front.

Andy sat down beside Allison, smiling triumphantly, despite the fact the whole scenario had evidently caused a stir with the rest of the class, who were whispering and throwing glances their way.

He turned to his right to look at Allison, who was staring at him with her mouth hanging open.

Laughing softly, he made himself comfortable.

"Hi," he whispered.

Monday was definitely promising to be interesting.

Glancing up from his book, Brian wondered how any of his new friends ever managed to maintain their grade point average. So far, not one of them had done anything remotely academic.

Claire had taken to filing her nails, which he had to admit was, quite frankly, going through him. Behind him, Allison was concentrating. Yes, she was concentrating alright. On her drawing. And Andy was watching her with some kind of lovesick expression on his face, only tearing himself away to ask Brian the answer to some of the mock test questions they were working through.

Allison knew he was watching her. She could see him out of the corner of her eye.

Truth be told, she didn't know what to do.

Sure, she had made up lies and acted out in the past to get attention. But now, here was one of the most good looking and popular boys in the school, sat right beside her, watching her every move. It was alien to her.

She had nearly completed her sketch when Andy's elbow knocked her arm, sending her pencil flying onto the floor.

Clenching her jaw, Alison turned to him, wondering what the hell he was playing at.

But Andy was staring at something else now.

Following his gaze, Allison realised the classroom door had opened, and John Bender was strolling casually through it.

The teacher looked confused, and the rest of the class watch with vague disinterest as he strode over to stand in front of Brian.

With a wave of his hand, Bender made his intention clear, and Brian shuffled one seat across, sighing deeply.

Bender slumped down into the now-empty seat, chucking the rest of Brian's belongings across to his new desk. Then he glanced around, seeing that most of the class, including his detention buddies, were staring at him in silence with their mouths open.

Turning to his right, he noted that Claire was doing her best impression of a trout too.

With that, he nodded curtly.

"Morning, Cherry."

Yes, Monday was shaping up to be very interesting indeed.